U.S. patent number 8,726,889 [Application Number 13/567,979] was granted by the patent office on 2014-05-20 for charge air cooler control system and method.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC. The grantee listed for this patent is Charles A. Cockerill, Phil Andrew Fabien, Chris Paul Glugla, Shuya Shark Yamada. Invention is credited to Charles A. Cockerill, Phil Andrew Fabien, Chris Paul Glugla, Shuya Shark Yamada.
United States Patent |
8,726,889 |
Cockerill , et al. |
May 20, 2014 |
Charge air cooler control system and method
Abstract
A charge air cooler arrangement, a charge air cooler tank, and
method are disclosed. The charge air cooler arrangement includes a
charge air cooler having an operable thermal transfer area
configured to transfer heat from inside the charge air cooler to
outside of the charge air cooler. The charge air cooler arrangement
may also include a valve configured to change the operable thermal
transfer area from a relatively large area to a relatively small
area.
Inventors: |
Cockerill; Charles A.
(Brighton, MI), Yamada; Shuya Shark (Novi, MI), Glugla;
Chris Paul (Macomb, MI), Fabien; Phil Andrew (Livonia,
MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Cockerill; Charles A.
Yamada; Shuya Shark
Glugla; Chris Paul
Fabien; Phil Andrew |
Brighton
Novi
Macomb
Livonia |
MI
MI
MI
MI |
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
(Dearborn, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
49291311 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/567,979 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20130263828 A1 |
Oct 10, 2013 |
|
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
61621928 |
Apr 9, 2012 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
123/540;
60/599 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D
1/05366 (20130101); F28F 27/02 (20130101); F28D
1/0417 (20130101); F02B 29/0418 (20130101); F02B
29/04 (20130101); F02M 26/05 (20160201); Y02T
10/146 (20130101); F02M 26/22 (20160201); Y02T
10/12 (20130101); F02M 26/06 (20160201) |
Current International
Class: |
F02M
15/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;123/198D,540,542,563
;60/599
;165/158,159,174,114,99,100,101,102,103,231,280,283,287,297,164-167 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1923551 |
|
Nov 2007 |
|
EP |
|
2161430 |
|
Mar 2010 |
|
EP |
|
59145325 |
|
Aug 1984 |
|
JP |
|
60050225 |
|
Mar 1985 |
|
JP |
|
61237998 |
|
Oct 1986 |
|
JP |
|
62046194 |
|
Feb 1987 |
|
JP |
|
Other References
Glugla, Chris Paul et al., "Method for Controlling a Variable
Charge Air Cooler," U.S. Appl. No. 13/589,942, filed Aug. 20, 2012,
41 pages. cited by applicant .
Glugla, Chris Paul et al., "Method for Controlling a Variable
Charge Air Cooler," U.S. Appl. No. 13/590,023, filed Aug. 20, 2012,
41 pages. cited by applicant .
Buckland, Julia Helen et al., "Method for Controlling a Variable
Charge Air Cooler," U.S. Appl. No. 13/590,072, filed Aug. 20, 2012,
41 pages. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Nguyen; Hung Q
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Voutyras; Julia Alleman Hall McCoy
Russell & Tuttle LLP
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority to U.S. patent application
No. 61/621,928, filed on Apr. 9, 2012, the entire contents of which
are hereby incorporated by reference.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A method for an engine charge air cooler including an adjustable
plate and a volume, the volume including a non-zero sub-volume and
a non-zero remaining volume, comprising: passing airflow into the
volume by moving the plate to provide inlet of the airflow into all
tubes of the charge air cooler; and passing the airflow into only
the sub-volume by moving the plate to close off inlet of the
airflow into the remaining volume, the plate including a first
exposed area on a first side of the plate and a second exposed area
on a second side of the plate, the second side opposite the first
side and the second exposed area larger than the first exposed
area.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the plate to provide inlet
of the airflow into all tubes of the charge air cooler includes
moving the plate into an open position and wherein moving the plate
to close off inlet of the airflow into the remaining volume
includes moving the plate into a closed position.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein when the plate is in the closed
position, the first exposed area is closest to the sub-volume and
the second exposed area is closest to the remaining volume.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein when the plate is in the open
position, the first exposed area is nearer all tubes of the charge
air cooler than the second exposed area.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein moving the plate into the closed
position includes moving the plate into sealing engagement with a
hole of a divider, the divider dividing the volume into the
sub-volume and the remaining volume.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein during passing the airflow into
only the sub-volume, the first exposed area engages with the hole,
the hole sized to expose the first exposed area.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the plate includes
providing a motive force to open or close the plate with an
actuator in order to change the plate from an open state to a
closed state but not providing force with the actuator to keep the
plate open or to keep the plate closed.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the plate includes
hinge-ably moving the plate via a hinge coupled to a proximal end
of the plate.
9. A method for an engine charge air cooler including an adjustable
plate and a volume, the volume including a non-zero sub-volume and
a non-zero remaining volume, comprising: passing airflow into the
volume by moving the plate to provide airflow into all tubes of the
charge air cooler; and passing airflow into only the sub-volume by
moving the plate to close off airflow into the remaining volume,
the plate including a first side with a first exposed area and a
second side with a second exposed area, the second side opposite
the first side and the second area larger than the first area.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein moving the plate to provide
airflow into all tubes of the charge air cooler includes moving the
plate into an open position and wherein moving the plate to close
off airflow into the remaining volume includes moving the plate
into a closed position.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein all tubes of the charge air
cooler include a first set of tubes defining the sub-volume and a
second set of tubes defining the remaining volume, the sub-volume
divided from the remaining volume by a divider.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein when the plate is in the closed
position, the first exposed area is exposed to the airflow and the
second exposed area is exposed to a static pressure resulting
substantially from a fluidic communication between an outlet side
of the charge air cooler with the second side of the plate via the
second set of tubes.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein moving the plate into the
closed position includes moving the plate into sealing engagement
with a hole of the divider, the hole sized to expose the first
exposed area.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein moving the plate to provide
airflow into all tubes of the charge air cooler includes moving the
plate away from the hole to allow airflow through the hole.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plate is hinge-ably coupled
with the divider.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein moving the plate to close off
airflow into the remaining volume includes moving the plate toward
the hole to not allow airflow through the hole.
17. The method of claim 9, wherein moving the plate includes moving
the plate via a hinge, the hinge positioned at a junction between a
tank of the charge air cooler and a side of the charge air
cooler.
18. The method of claim 9, further comprising passing airflow into
the volume by moving the plate to provide airflow into all tubes of
the charge air cooler when the engine is operating under hot
ambient conditions.
19. The method of claim 9, further comprising passing airflow into
only the sub-volume by moving the plate to close off airflow into
the remaining volume when the engine is operating under humid or
cooler conditions.
Description
FIELD
The present application relates to methods and systems for cooling
engine charge air after being compressed by a compressor, and
including methods and systems wherein the operative heat transfer
area of the charge air cooler is modifiable during engine and
vehicle operation with a valve arrangement.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
Many internal combustion engines include turbochargers, or
superchargers configured to force more air mass into an engine's
intake manifold and combustion chamber by compressing intake air
with a compressor driven by a turbine disposed to capture energy
from the flow of the engine exhaust gas. However, compression tends
to heat the intake air, leading to a reduction of the density of
the charge air. It is known to use a charge air cooler to
compensate for heating caused by supercharging.
In order to achieve high Charge Air Cooler (CAC) efficiency in
boosted applications and under hot ambient operating conditions,
charge air coolers should be large and receive "First Air", (e.g.,
be in front of a radiator and all other cooling devices). During
operation in humid and cooler climates, the size of the CAC may be
such that water vapor in the air will condense out and be stored in
the CAC. When the flow of intake air reaches a high enough
velocity, condensed water may be stripped out of the CAC and
ingested into the engine. However, if too much water is ingested
into the engine too rapidly, the engine may misfire. Such misfiring
can be extreme. Conversely, air flow velocities during low air flow
demand remain high and may not allow for condensation build up in
the CAC.
Embodiments may provide a valve which may be actuated in boosted
engine applications. The valve may be either mechanical or
electrical, and in some examples may be located in the charge air
cooler (CAC), the inlet tank, or the outlet tank to utilize the
required volume of the CAC as needed for predetermined engine
operating conditions.
Embodiments may utilize one or more valves configured to close off
portions of the CAC during low engine air flow requirements and
open the entire CAC during high engine air flow requirements. In
this way, efficiency requirements may be better met during both low
air flow operation and high air flow operation.
A charge air cooler arrangement, a charge air cooler tank, and
method are disclosed. The charge air cooler arrangement includes a
charge air cooler having an operable thermal transfer area
configured to transfer heat from inside the charge air cooler to
outside of the charge air cooler. The charge air cooler arrangement
may also include a valve configured to change the operable thermal
transfer area from a relatively large area to a relatively small
area and back again. In this way the amount of thermal transfer
area, and the volume of the CAC, may be adjusted according to
engine operation. For example, during operating conditions more
prone to condensate formation (e.g., lower flow engine operating
conditions), the valve can be adjusted to reduce the number of open
channels in the charge air cooler, thereby increasing air flow
velocity. However, during operating conditions less prone to
condensate formation (e.g., higher flow engine operating
conditions, as compared to the lower air flow conditions), the
valve can be adjusted to increase the number of open channels in
the charge air cooler, thereby decreasing air flow resistance and
increasing air flow cooling.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to
introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are
further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to
identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow
the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter
is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages
noted above or in any part of this disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows an example vehicle system layout, including an air
intake system and a charge air cooler arrangement in accordance
with the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a charge air cooler
arrangement with a cutout portion to show some inner details
thereof.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross sectional views illustrating a valve in
accordance with various embodiments showing respectively an open
position and a closed position.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a charge air cooler tank in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 5 is a side view of an example flap which may be included in a
charge air cooler tank such as the charge air cooler tank
illustrated in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the example charge air cooler tank
of FIG. 4 shown in a different state.
FIG. 7 is another side view of an example charge air cooler tank in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 8 is a perspective back view of an example charge air cooler
tank in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 9 is a front view of an example charge air cooler tank in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of
operating a charge air cooler of an engine in accordance with the
present disclosure.
FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example modification of
the method illustrated in FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating another example method of
operating a charge air cooler of an engine in accordance with the
present disclosure.
FIGS. 2-9 are drawn approximately to scale, although other relative
dimensions and positioning may be used, if desired.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows an example of an engine system, for example, an engine
system generally at 10. The engine system 10 may be a diesel
engine, or a gasoline engine, or other type of engine that may
utilize various components in accordance with the present
disclosure. Specifically, internal combustion engine 10 comprises a
plurality of cylinders 11. Engine 10 is controlled by electronic
engine controller 12. Engine 10 includes a combustion chamber and
cylinder walls with a piston positioned therein and connected to
crankshaft 20. The combustion chamber communicates with an intake
manifold 22 and an exhaust manifold 24 via respective intake and
exhaust valves.
Intake manifold 22 communicates with throttle body 30 via throttle
plate 32. In one embodiment, an electronically controlled throttle
can be used. In some embodiments, the throttle is electronically
controlled and adjustable to periodically, or continuously,
maintain a specified vacuum level in intake manifold 22. While
throttle body 30 is depicted as being downstream of a compressor
device 90b, it will be appreciated that the throttle body may be
placed upstream or downstream of the compressor. The choice may
depend partly on the specific EGR system or systems that is/are
used. Alternatively, or additionally, a throttle body may be placed
in the exhaust line to raise exhaust pressure. This may be
effective in helping to drive EGR, but may not be effective in
reducing total mass flow through the engine.
The combustion chamber is also shown having fuel injectors 34
coupled thereto for delivering fuel in proportion to the pulse
width of signal (fpw) from controller 12. Fuel is delivered to the
fuel injectors 34 by a conventional fuel system (not shown)
including a fuel tank, fuel pump, and fuel rail (not shown). In the
case of direct injection engines, as shown in FIG. 1, a high
pressure fuel system is used such as a common rail system. However,
there are several other fuel systems that could be used as well,
including but not limited to EUI, HEUI, etc.
In the depicted embodiment, controller 12 is a conventional
microcomputer, and includes a microprocessor unit 40, input/output
ports 42, electronic memory 44, which may be an electronically
programmable memory in this particular example, random access
memory 46, keep alive memory 48, and a conventional data bus.
Controller 12 may be configured to receive various signals from
sensors coupled to engine 10, which may include but may not be
limited to: measurements of inducted mass airflow (MAF) from mass
airflow sensor 50; engine coolant temperature (ECT) from
temperature sensor 52; manifold pressure (MAP) from manifold
pressure sensor 56 coupled to intake manifold 22; a measurement of
throttle position (TP) from a throttle position sensor (not shown)
coupled to throttle plate 32; and a profile ignition pickup signal
(PIP) from Hall effect sensor 60 coupled to crankshaft 20
indicating engine speed.
Engine 10 may include an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to
help lower NOx and other emissions. For example, engine 10 may
include a high pressure EGR system in which exhaust gas is
delivered to intake manifold 22 by a high pressure EGR passage 70
communicating with exhaust manifold 24 at a location upstream of an
exhaust turbine 90a of a compression device 90, and communicating
with intake manifold 22 at a location downstream of an intake
compressor 90b of the compression device 90. A high pressure EGR
valve assembly (not shown) may be located in high pressure EGR
passage 70. Exhaust gas may then travel from exhaust manifold 24
first through high pressure EGR passage 70, and then to intake
manifold 22. An EGR cooler (not shown) may be included in high
pressure EGR tube 70 to cool re-circulated exhaust gases before
entering the intake manifold. Cooling may be done using engine
water, but an air-to-air heat exchanger may also be used.
Alternatively or additionally, a low pressure EGR system may be
included in engine 10.
Further, drive pedal 94 is shown along with a driver's foot 95.
Pedal position sensor (pps) 96 measures the angular position of the
driver actuated pedal. Further, engine 10 may also include exhaust
air/fuel ratio sensors (not shown). For example, either a 2-state
EGO sensor or a linear UEGO sensor can be used. Either of these may
be placed in the exhaust manifold 24, or downstream of the
compression device 90.
Compression device 90 may be a turbocharger or any other such
device. The depicted compression device 90 may have a turbine 90a
coupled with the exhaust manifold 24 and a compressor 90b coupled
with the intake manifold 22 via an intercooler 200 which may be an
air-to-air heat exchanger, but could be water cooled. Turbine 90a
is typically coupled to compressor 90b via a drive shaft 92. A
sequential turbocharger arrangement, single VGT, twin VGTs, or any
other arrangement of turbochargers could be used and could include
coolers within the compression device system, such as between two
stages of compression.
As mentioned, intake passage 190 may include a charge air cooler
200 (CAC) (e.g., an intercooler) to decrease the temperature of the
turbocharged or supercharged intake gases. A flow of coolant shown
by an incoming flow 202 and an outgoing flow 204 is shown with
arrows; e.g., the charge air cooler 200 may include a coolant inlet
202 configured to receive coolant and a coolant outlet 204
configured to expel coolant. The source of the incoming flow 202
and the destination of the outgoing flow 204 have been omitted from
the figure. The coolant fluid that flows as incoming flow 202 and
outgoing flow 204 may be air or another fluid such as water, an
appropriate chemical coolant, or a mixture thereof. In one case the
charge air cooler 200 may be referred to as water cooled and in
another it may be referred to as air cooled. The coolant in the
charge air cooler 200 may be circulated in a coolant passage 206.
It will be appreciated that the coolant passage 206 may have
geometric features configured to aid thermal transfer between the
intake passage 190 and the coolant passage 206. In this way, heat
may be drawn away from the intake passage 190 via the charge air
cooler 200. Thus, the temperature of the intake air delivered to a
combustion chamber may be reduced, increasing the air pressure and
increasing combustion efficiency.
Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may provide
two or more thermal transfer configurations using a single charge
air cooler 200 such that a first amount of thermal transfer is
possible with a first configuration, and a second amount of thermal
transfer is possible with a second configuration. In this way
engine efficiency requirements may be better met during more than
one intake air flow demand operation. In addition, or
alternatively, excess condensate build up may be avoided. Example
details are illustrated in FIG. 1 and also in the following
figures. Some variations are also illustrated.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a charge air cooler
arrangement 220 in accordance with one example embodiment with a
cutout portion to show some inner details thereof. The charge air
cooler arrangement 220 may include a charge air cooler 200 having
an operable thermal transfer area 222 configured to transfer heat
from inside the charge air cooler 200 to outside of the charge air
cooler 200. The charge air cooler arrangement 220 may also include
a valve 224 configured to change the operable thermal transfer area
from a relatively large area 226 to a relatively small area
228.
The charge air cooler arrangement 220 may also include a plurality
of cooling tubes 230 located in the charge air cooler 200.
Substantially all of the plurality of cooling tubes may define the
relatively large area 226. A portion of the plurality of cooling
tubes 230 may define the relatively small area 228. An inlet tank
232 may be located between an intake passage 190 (e.g., FIG. 1) and
the charge air cooler 200 providing fluidic access of intake air to
the plurality of cooling tubes 230. The valve 224 may be located in
the inlet tank 232.
Various embodiments may include a charge air cooler 200 with
various numbers of cooling tubes, and the number of cooling tubes
for the relatively small area 228 may also vary. In one example,
substantially all of the plurality of cooling tubes may comprise
twenty-one tubes, and the portion of the plurality of cooling
tubes, which may comprise the relatively small area 228, may number
nine tubes.
The charge air cooler inlet tank 232 may be sealed for fluidic
communication with an inlet side of the charge air cooler 200. A
plate 234 may be disposed in the charge air cooler inlet tank 232
for hinge-able movement via hinge 236 therein to selectively change
the operable thermal transfer area from one to the other of the
relatively large area 226 and the relatively small area 228. The
plate 234 may be pivotally coupled with the charge air cooler inlet
tank 232 for selectively obstructing flow into a portion of the
charge air cooler to change the operable thermal transfer area 222
to the relatively small area 228. The relatively small area 228 may
be an area in a first set of tubes 238 accessible from a first set
of tube openings 240; and wherein the relatively large area 226 may
be a combination of the area in the first set of tubes 238 and an
area in a second set of tubes 242 accessible from a respective
second set of tube openings 244.
The valve 224 may be, or may be similar to, a flapper valve. The
valve 224 may include a seat member 246 comprising a substantially
flat stationary member having one or more holes 248 there through.
A closure member 234, for example a flap or plate, may be
configured to move as illustrated by arrow 250 from a first
position spaced from the seat member 246 thereby opening the one or
more holes 248 wherein intake air is able to flow into the
relatively large area 226, to a second position adjacent to the
seat member 246 thereby closing the one or more holes 248 wherein
intake air is able to flow into only the relatively small area
228.
The inlet tank 232 may be coupled to an inlet side 252 of the
charge air cooler 200. A divider 254 may separate the inlet tank
232 into two portions, a first portion 256, and a second portion
258. The valve 224 may be located at the divider 254 and may be
configured to open to allow a flow of intake air into the
relatively large area 226 and may be configured to close to allow
the flow of intake air into only the relatively small area 228. The
divider 254 may be part of the valve 224. For example, the divider
254 may be a valve seat. The divider 254 may also be a dividing
line or datum, or the like, functionally dividing the charge air
cooler 200 into the two portions. Some embodiments may include two
or more dividers dividing the inlet into three or more portions. In
some examples one or more configurations described herein regarding
an inlet tank 232 may instead, or in addition, be included in an
outlet tank 260 shown in FIG. 2. The charge air cooler 200 may
include a plurality of tubes 230 extending from an inlet side 252
to an outlet side 264, substantially all of the plurality of tubes
may be in mutual fluidic communication at the outlet side 264.
The divider 254 may divide the inlet side 252 of the plurality of
tubes 230 into a first set of tubes 266 in mutual fluidic
communication on a first side 268 of the divider, and a second set
of tubes 270 in mutual fluidic communication on a second side 272
of the divider 254. There may be a hole 248 in the divider 254 to
allow the intake air to pass through the divider 254. A flap 234
may be configured to move away from the hole 248 to allow the
intake air to pass through the hole 248 and, conversely, to move
toward sealing engagement with the hole to prevent the intake air
from passing through the hole 248.
It will be understood that instead all the tubes may be in fluid
communication on the inlet side and divided at the outlet side into
two or more portions of tubes. A similarly configured flap may also
be included in the outlet tank and function to control whether the
fluid is allowed to pass or is prevented from passing through a
similarly configured hole.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross sectional views illustrating the valve
224 in an open position (FIG. 3A) and a closed position (FIG. 3B).
The flap 234 may have a first side 275 and a second side 277. When
the flap 234 is in sealing engagement with the hole 248, a first
area 279 on the first side 275 may be exposed to a first pressure,
and a second area 281 on the second side 277 may be exposed to a
second pressure. A second resultant force 285 on the on the second
side 277 (as may be determined by a product of the second pressure
and the second area) as compared to a first resultant force 283 on
the first side 275 (as may be determined by a product of the first
pressure and the first area) tends to keep the flap 234 toward
sealing engagement. Specifically after the inlet air passes through
the charge air cooler, e.g., when passing through the first set of
tubes 238 with the flap closed, the inlet air will drop in
pressure. The second pressure may be a static pressure resulting
substantially from a fluidic communication between the outlet side
of the charge air cooler with the second side of the flap via the
second set of tubes. The first pressure may result substantially
from inlet air pressure. The tubes open on the inlet side 252 above
the closed flap and open on the outlet side 264 to the outlet tank
260 may then essentially function as a continuous volume able to
communicate a lower static pressure.
Various embodiments may include an actuator (not illustrated) to
open and close the flap 234. The actuator may be one or more of: an
electronic actuator, a vacuum controlled actuator, a mechanical
pressure diaphragm, and a pulse-width modulated electronic control.
When the inlet air is allowed to pass through all the tubes of the
charge air cooler, e.g. when the flap is open, the inlet air will
also experience a drop in pressure and the flap will be exposed on
both sides to the pressure of the incoming inlet air. In this way,
the actuator may only need to provide a motive force to open and to
close the flap in order to change the flap from an open state to a
closed state, but may not need to provide force to keep the flap
open or to keep the flap closed. Such operation is particularly
advantageous in a vehicle application where the engine provides
electrical power to the vehicle, in that it can reduce power
consumption and thus increase overall vehicle fuel efficiency.
FIGS. 4 and 6-9 illustrate various examples of a charge air cooler
tank, for example an inlet tank 232, or an outlet tank. FIG. 4
shows an exemplary charge air cooler tank with a valving element
424 in a closed state, while FIG. 6 shows the exemplary charge air
cooler tank of FIG. 4 with the valving element 424 in an open
state. FIGS. 7-9 illustrate additional views of exemplary charge
air cooler tanks. FIG. 5 is a side view of an example flap 234
which may be included in an inlet tank and/or outlet tank. The
inlet and outlet tanks (e.g., 232, 260 in FIG. 2) may be sealed for
fluidic communication with a side of the charge air cooler, and the
valve may include a plate hinge-ably positioned at a junction
between the charge air cooler tank and the side of the charge air
cooler.
Referring also to FIG. 5, the plate 434 may be pivotally coupled
with the inlet tank with a shaft 492, and may further comprise one
or more torsional springs 494 coupled with the shaft 492 for
biasing the plate 434 toward the charge air cooler. FIG. 4
illustrates a different example wherein the plate 434 may be
pivotally coupled with the inlet tank 232 at a proximal end 496,
and further comprising a bias 497 at a distal end 498 of the plate
configured to bias movement of the plate 434. In some cases the
plate, or flap, may be biased at both ends, biased in a different
fashion, or may not be biased at all. In some cases an actuator
with a motive force may bias the plate.
Returning to FIG. 2, various embodiments may provide charge air
cooler tanks 232, 260 that may include a first side being
fluidically coupled to a fluid line 190 (e.g., FIG. 1); a second
side being fluidically coupled to a charge air cooler; and a
valving element 224. The valving element may have a first position
configured to allow a fluid to pass through a first portion of the
charge air cooler; and a second position configured to allow the
fluid to pass through a second portion of the charge air cooler
wherein the first portion is larger than the second portion.
The fluid may be intake air. The valve 224 (or, for example 424 in
FIG. 4) may include a divider 254 fixed inside the charge air
cooler tanks 232, 260 dividing the charge air cooler tanks 232, 260
into a first portion 256 and a second portion 258. A fluid line 190
(e.g., FIG. 1) may be configured to pass the intake air into the
first portion 256. There may be a hole 248 in the divider 254. A
flap 234 may be hinge-ably connected with the divider 254. The
valve 224 may have a first position wherein a majority of the flap
is not in contact with the divider such that the hole 248 is open.
The valve 224 may have a second position wherein a majority of the
flap is in contact with the divider such that the hole is
closed.
Moving to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the hole 248 may be sized to expose a
first area 279 of a first side 275 of the flap such that a
mathematical product of the first area 279 and a first fluid
pressure exerted on the first area when hole is closed by the flap
may yield an opening force 283 on the flap 234. A second side of
the flap 277 may have a second area 281 such that a mathematical
product of the second area 281 and a second fluid pressure exerted
on the second area yields a closing force on the flap, wherein the
closing force 285 may be greater than the opening force 283. An
actuator may be configured to move the flap from the first position
to the second position.
The first portion of the charge air cooler tank may be essentially
a whole of the charge air cooler, and the second portion may be
less than the whole of the charge air cooler. The first portion of
the charge air cooler tank may be a superset of the second portion.
It follows that the second portion may be a subset of the first
portion.
The charge air cooler tank may be a charge air cooler inlet tank
232 having a substantially trapezoidal shape with a relatively
small inlet side 252 and a relatively large outlet side 253. The
outlet side 253 may have a substantially rectilinear perimeter edge
configured for sealing engagement with edges of a substantially
rectilinear side face of the charge air cooler 200. The valving
element 224 may including a plate 234 coupled to the inlet tank at
the outlet side 253 for hinge-able movement from the first position
wherein the plate is angled into a volume defined by an outside
wall 255 of the charge air cooler inlet tank 232 to the second
position, wherein the plate is against the side face of the charge
air cooler.
Returning to FIG. 4, the valving element 424 may include a plate
hinge-ably coupled with the second side of the charge air cooler
tank. When in the first position the plate 434 may form an angle
greater than 0 deg with a side face of the charge air cooler
thereby allowing air to pass into ends of heat transfer tubes of
the charge air cooler. When in the second position the plate may be
flush with the ends of heat transfer tubes of the charge air cooler
thereby significantly preventing air from passing into the ends of
the heat transfer tubes. In some examples the angle may be
approximately 7 deg.
As seen in FIG. 5, in some examples the plate 434 may include a
surface topography 502 which may be configured to fit snugly
against the ends of the heat transfer tubes. Some examples may
include a bias 494 configured to bias the plate hinge-ably toward
either the first position or the second position.
Various embodiments may provide a charge air cooler arrangement for
an engine. The charge air cooler arrangement may include a first
working remaining volume, a second non-zero working sub-volume, and
a valve element configured to enable a charge air cooler to
selectively use either the first working volume or the second
working volume to cool charge air.
The valve element may be located in one or both of an inlet tank,
and an exit tank. The valve element may include a bias to bias a
plate to a first position wherein the first working volume may be
usable by the charge air cooler. A predetermined pressure condition
within the charge air cooler arrangement may tend to hold the plate
in a second position wherein the second working volume may be
usable by the charge air cooler.
The inlet tank may be coupled with the charge air cooler, and the
predetermined pressure condition may be a pressure differential
between a first pressure on a first side of the plate caused by an
inlet air, and a second pressure caused by a static pressure on a
second side of the plate resulting from a fluidic communication
with an outlet side of the charge air cooler. The predetermined
pressure differential may be for example 4 kPA or may be between
approximately 2 kPA and 6 kP.
The valve element may be actuated when one or more predetermined
conditions are met selected from a set of conditions that may
include ambient air temperature, engine temperature, charge air
pressure, charge air density, ambient air humidity, and engine
speed.
With some embodiments, one of the working volumes may be a bypass
wherein inlet air may be passed from an inlet side to an outlet
side where little to no thermal transfer from the inlet air takes
place, for example because the bypass does not interact with, and
is thermally separated and spaced away from, a cooling fluid, such
as cooling air and/or coolant. Some embodiments may include a
charge air cooler having a plurality of tubes to pass inlet air
from an inlet side to an outlet side. At least one of the plurality
of tubes may be a bypass tube wherein substantially no thermal
transfer take place. The valve element may be configured to
selectively pass inlet air through the bypass tube. The bypass
tube, or tubes, may be one of the first or second working volumes,
or may be a third portion of the charge air cooler arrangement.
With some embodiments the first working volume may include a
different thermal transfer efficiency than the second working
volume. The thermal transfer efficiencies may differ in one or more
ways, for example, they may differ in fin density, inclusion of
turbulators, number of turbulators, flow rate, fin size, fin
length, number of fins, fluid path length, and the like.
FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of
operating a charge air cooler of an engine in accordance with the
present disclosure. The method 600 may include, at 610, providing a
valve arrangement that selectively does one or the other of, at
620, pass a fluid into a first volume of the charge air cooler; and
at 630, pass a fluid into a second volume of the charge air cooler,
the second volume being a portion of the first volume.
FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a modification of the method
610 illustrated in FIG. 6. The providing a valve arrangement 610,
may include, at 740, positioning a plate in an inlet tank. The
modified method 700 may include, at 750, moving the plate to
provide inlet of the fluid into substantially all tubes of the
charge air cooler thereby allowing the fluid to pass only into the
first volume; and, at 760, moving the plate to close off inlet of
the fluid into a subset of the tubes thereby allowing the fluid to
pass only into the second volume.
FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating another example method of
operating a charge air cooler of an engine in accordance with the
present disclosure. The method 800 may include, at 810, passing a
fluid into a first volume of the charge air cooler when the engine
is operating under hot ambient conditions; and at 820, passing a
fluid into a second volume of the charge air cooler when the engine
is operating under humid, or cooler conditions, the second volume
may be a portion of the first volume.
It will be understood that the depicted engine 10 in FIG. 1 is
shown only for the purpose of example, and that the systems and
methods described herein may be implemented in or applied to any
other suitable engine having any suitable components and/or
arrangement of components.
The specific routines described herein may represent one or more of
any number of processing strategies such as event-driven,
interrupt-driven, multi-tasking, multi-threading, and the like. As
such, various actions, operations, or functions illustrated may be
performed in the sequence illustrated, in parallel, or in some
cases omitted. Likewise, the order of processing is not necessarily
required to achieve the features and advantages of the example
embodiments described herein, but is provided for ease of
illustration and description. One or more of the illustrated
actions, functions, or operations may be repeatedly performed
depending on the particular strategy being used. Further, the
described operations, functions, and/or acts may graphically
represent code to be programmed into computer readable storage
medium in the control system
Further still, it should be understood that the systems and methods
described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific
embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting
sense, because numerous variations are contemplated. Accordingly,
the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious
combinations of the various systems and methods disclosed herein,
as well as any and all equivalents thereof.
* * * * *